How to create the perfect home working environment

Hey Cats

As modern businesses turn to flexible working as a means of boosting productivity, a growing number of people are spending more time working at home. On paper, this sounds like the ideal lifestyle but you soon realise that creating a productive working environment at home isn’t such an easy task.

With constant distractions and home comforts teasing you away from your to-do lists, how can you prove to your bosses that you can get more done at home? In this article, we’ll be showing you how to create the perfect home working environment that’ll smash your previous productivity record.

First, create a place only for work

The first thing you need in a home working environment is a space that’s for work and nothing else. Ideally, this wants to be a separate room that’s completely shut off from the rest of your home – somewhere that, once the door is closed, everything is about work and nothing else.

Don’t set yourself up in the conservatory or anywhere with homely appliances that might distract you away from work. Putting on that load of washing you forgot to do yesterday or finally getting around to oiling that creaky door are unwelcome excuses to break your productivity.

Choose the ultimate chair and desk

You don’t need to go for the classic office chair and desk setup but you do need a combo that’s comfortable. Colour and design are both important but these are questions of personal taste when you’re working from home. Try to keep things minimal, though, especially when it comes to choosing a desk. You want to keep a tidy workspace that’s free of distractions and you don’t want unnecessary shelves on your desk begging to be filled with clutter.

Create a natural space

Studies show we’re more productive in environments with plenty of natural light and our mood is boosted when we’re surrounded by plants and natural elements. So get as much light beaming into your home office as possible and brighten the place up with some plants. If that’s not enough of a nature fix for you, consider getting a few fish or similarly low-maintenance pets that won’t distract you from work.

As Marcela Kunova explains for the Guardian, studies from Cardiff University’s school of psychology found that employees in plant-filled offices achieve increased levels of concentration and workplace satisfaction.

Colour is important when it comes to creating that natural feels and cream walls will help the green leaves of your plants pop all the more. Add touches of contrast with muted blacks or smooth browns and add some mid tones with greys here and there. Take the Zen approach and the natural elements on your room stand out above everything else.

Adopt the agile working mentality

Having a space in your home that’s only for work is crucial but this doesn’t mean you should spend all of your working hours in there. Treat your workspace as the place you go to get things done but allow yourself to move elsewhere when you need moments of inspiration or a simple change of scenery.

As UK design consultancy Office Principles says, you’ll boost your own productivity by adopting agile working, where you’re not confined to a single space:

“Agile working is all about creating a flexible office and productive environment. By creating different working areas within the office you can ensure your staff have the complete freedom and flexibility to work where they want, when they want.” – What is agile working?

Whether it’s spending an hour working in the garden on a nice day, popping down to the nearest café to get away for a bit, allow yourself to make the most of the freedom that comes with working from home. As long as you’ve got that space that’s only for work, you can always return there when you really need to maximise productivity.

Follow the tips in this article and you’ll have no problems with creating the perfect home working environment. There’s one last tip we want to give you, though: always track your own performance when working at home. There are plenty of free and paid software tool you can use to track your progress, time yourself on specific tasks and make sure you’re hitting targets.

You’re not a robot and you’re going to have moments where you fall behind. However, tracking your own performance means you’ll always know when you’re off the pace and help you get back on track as soon as possible.